Diego Lainez’s terrible time at Real Betís is, at least for now, over.
Lainez on Friday completed a loan move to Portuguese club Braga, who maintain the right to make it a permanent transfer for €7 million.
“I am very happy and excited to join a team that has clear goals. Being at SC Braga is something I’ve wanted for a long time,” Lainez told Braga’s club site. “I’m happy because I’m where I want to be.”
At 18, Lainez had already emerged as a legit Liga MX star with Club América, making his debut for Mexico and catching interest from European clubs. Betís won that particular race, putting up a reported €14 million to bring Lainez to Spain.
From there, it hasn’t been great. While his first season could be shrugged off as a youngster finding his feet, three successive managers—Quique Setién, Rubi, and Manuel Pellegrini—never saw enough to give Lainez more than spot duty.
In this past season, Lainez posted his highest minutes-played total for Betís, but things took a nosedive in the winter. Lainez’s last start of the year in any competition came on January 2, and he made just five total appearances for the rest of the season. In 26 games in all competition, Betís left Lainez out of the gameday squad entirely on seven different occasions.
Braga may provide a good platform for Lainez to get back on course. They finished fourth in the Primeira Liga in 2021-22 and won the Taça de Portugal, giving them a spot in this year’s Europa League group stage. With the World Cup to look ahead to, El Tri will certainly be keeping an eye on how Lainez does under the tutelage of Braga head coach Artur Jorge.
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